Betting in Kenya: From Ngong Racecourse to M-Pesa

If you ask somebody under thirty how betting works in Kenya, they will probably explain the process mainly using a phone and certain betting apps (for example, Harakabet Kenya). However, if you ask somebody who used to place bets decades ago, their explanation will be very different: they will describe placing bets at betting shops and physical betting locations. Neither explanation is right or wrong. They are both correct and differ based on the communication technology available at the time (as well as the payment technology).

Before phones changed anything

When talking about betting in Kenya, organised horse racing actually has a longer history than one may think. In the early 1900s, race meetings were already being held. After the establishment of Ngong Racecourse in 1954, it became the country’s main racing centre. For many decades that followed, betting shops were established to offer football coupons and race cards, and the model was fairly similar. One went to the betting shop, looked at a racing card, placed a bet, and then checked the result afterwards to see if they won anything.

The betting model had a limitation built into it that was actually not viewed as a limitation at the time. There was no alternative, so one had to be at an physical location in order to place a bet. This limited a bettor to only being able to place a bet if they got to that location whatever the opening hours of that location were.

SMS and mobile money arrived closer together than it might seem

The SMS era is often described as happening before mobile money, but the real story is far more interesting than that. M-Pesa was launched in 2007 using basic mobile phones and interacting through SMS. In the years that followed, mobile money was combined with SMS-based betting, meaning that the user could place a bet and fund it without going to a shop or an agent. Around this time, between 2014 and 2015, SportPesa reached a mass audience to place bets through mobile money. This social media-focused marketing was simple enough for even early adopters to understand how to place bets.

This new period of mobile betting evolved beyond the urban betting shops and racecourses. The specifics aren’t known because there are no surveys from the time but it is likely that sports betting exploded during this new period, and especially football betting since there was a surge of interest in the European leagues from Kenyan fans.

Smartphones, faster data and deeper M-Pesa integration

SMS based betting used to be the way to go, but simply wasn’t extensive enough. The next phase in this evolution was essentially the wider adoption of smartphones, faster internet and more integration of M-Pesa into betting applications. This was more done in stages by many different factors coming together long before any single factor was able to finish the job on its own.

This next phase in evolution essentially meant betting was available at the click of a button and instantaneously. This new technology replaced the need to go in person to place bets at an agent. Now with all this technology in place it means live betting can now be done faster to accommodate the unpredictability of a game. Funds now need to move at the same speed of the game in order for bets to be placed. It essentially means instant access to the same technology being available before a match starts, and offers the same opportunities for betting.

Where the regulatory picture stands now

Kenya’s gambling regulations have changed quite a bit and recently. The Gambling Control Act, 2025 came into effect in August 2025, and therefore the previously existing Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act 2017 is repealed. This Act puts in place the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) instead of the Betting Control and Licensing Board. The new Act places a lot of restrictions for foreign operators. The new guidelines and regulations specify that foreign operators need to be registered in Kenya, have a local address and meet the imposed requirements by the GRA in order to conduct business and serve the market, and lack of registration exposes one to hefty penalties.

This matters for anyone reviewing a betting platform today. Having a license from an offshore jurisdiction does not automatically allow a betting platform to serve Kenya customers under this current framework and the transition of regulations was still ongoing in 2026. Instead of taking license claims at face value, it is good practice to check the GRA’s resources and look into the status a platform has under the GRA on your own before taking a badge on the homepage as proof.

How this history shows up in today’s platforms

Development of a mobile-oriented product relies on assumptions that were simply not true in the past, like that on-screen odds are continuously changing, that cashouts happen in an instant, and that the majority of a betting platform’s users are accessing it through a mobile device as opposed to a desktop device. Haraka Bet Kenya is one of the platforms, along with many others, that operate in the current, mobile-money-centric generation of Kenyan betting.

There can be a variety of offerings that are specific to each platform in this generation of product like real-time opening of betting markets, statistics panels that track real-time possessions, shots on goal, and odds, as well as coverage of obscure matches. For each operator, as well as for each event, the offerings can be different and can even be changing, so just because a platform describes everything in this article, doesn’t mean that you should assume that each of the operators meets the expectations of what is described.

A quick timeline

Betting responsibly, in any era

None of the technologies mentioned will change the age old fact that gambling is an expensive form of entertainment. There is always the risk of losing money. Never bet if underage. Losses must never be recovered. Avoid borrowing money to place bets. Use the limit tools provided by the bookmakers. Seek help if support feels necessary. This is not a failure.

Conclusion

Prior to smartphones, bets were placed at racecourses and betting shops. SMS betting services with mobile money combined to reach a broader market. This was followed by live, reactive, and convenient betting and casino services. Regulations shifted too, with the introduction of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 and the Gambling Regulatory Authority. Regulations make it imperative for bettors to validate dates of operation as self regulatory bookmakers are abundant.

FAQ

How did mobile betting begin in Kenya? 2007 was the launch of mobile money in Kenya and during this time betting operators started using SMS interfaces with payments. 2014 was the launch of SportPesa by which time betting operators had mass market interfaces combining mobile money and betting. It was quite some time before this that these interfaces were developed.

Is online betting legal in Kenya? Gambling in Kenya is regulated by the new Gambling Control Act, 2025, and came into full effect in August 2025. The Betting Control and Licensing Board was replaced by the Gambling Regulatory Authority. While operators may think being licensed in another country solves the issue, it is important to check with the GRA since being licensed in another country does not grant the ability to legally operate in Kenya.

Would an offshore gaming licence allow a platform to legally operate in Kenya? Not necessarily, offshore licences grant operators the ability to legally operate in that country and not in Kenya, and it is important to check with the GRA whether a platform is licensed to legally operate in Kenya.